JFCS of the Suncoast
Kicking Off Eighth Annual Book Drive to Benefit
Low-Income and At-Risk Children
SARASOTA, Fla. – JFCS
of the Suncoast is kicking off its eighth
annual “Take-a-Look,
Buy-a-Book” book donation drive on
Feb. 1 to spread the joy of reading to children.
Each year, JFCS collects and
distributes nearly 4,000 new books to promote
literacy among local children in pre-K through
Grade 5, with special emphasis on low-income and
at-risk families. Books are also given to
infants and toddlers, as well as older children
in middle and high school.
“Please support our children and
help open a new chapter in their lives by
joining JFCS’ literacy campaign,” said Sheila
Birnbaum, a JFCS volunteer and founder of the
“Take-a-Look, Buy-a-Book” program. “There’s a
measure of dignity attached to owning, enjoying,
and sharing books. What better way to teach the
love of reading than to give these at-risk
children a gift.”
The book drive runs from
Feb. 1 – March 31, 2023. Community members can
participate by:
-
Delivering or shipping new books for infants
through teenagers directly to the main JFCS
office at 2688 Fruitville Rd., Sarasota, FL
34237.
-
Encouraging organizations, neighborhoods,
social clubs, businesses, friends, and other
groups to organize a book collection among
their members. A designated person can
collect the books and deliver them to JFCS.
-
Making a monetary donation online to go
toward the purchase of books. To donate,
click here and
choose “Book Drive” in the drop-down menu.
Donated books will be distributed
to JFCS clients who participate in a variety of
programs, including Camp Mariposa, Ignite/REACH,
Veterans Services, Homeless Prevention, Youth
Services and more. Books will also go to local
Title I schools, law enforcement agencies,
hospitals, summer reading programs and other
organizations such as The Haven, All Star
Children’s Foundation, Bucket of Books, and
more.
For additional
information:
Contact Sheila
Birnbaum at SheilaBirnbaum@AOL.com.
To arrange a drop-off or
delivery:
Contact Karen
Pharo, JFCS Director of Outreach, at kpharo@jfcs-cares.org.
About JFCS: One
of Florida Suncoast’s leading mental health and
human services agencies, JFCS delivers programs
and services on a non-denominational basis with
the goal of empowering individuals toward
well-being and self-reliance. Inspired by the
Jewish tradition of helping all people, JFCS of
the Suncoast believes all people should be
treated with dignity and respect and have equal
opportunity for physical and mental
well-being, self-expression, and joy. For more
information, visit https://JFCS-Cares.org/ or
call (941) 366-2224.